This weekly round-up brings you key climate news from the past seven days, including reports indicating the world is undergoing its fourth mass coral bleaching event and Scotland’s U-turn on its ‘world-leading’ climate target.
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1. Scientists Confirm Fourth Global Coral Bleaching Event Across 53 Countries
At least 53 countries have been experiencing mass bleaching of coral reefs since early 2023 in response to rising ocean temperatures, scientists have confirmed.
In a joint press release on Monday, the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) and the International Coral Reef Initiative (ICRI) – a partnership of 101 international nations and countries to perverse reefs around the world – confirmed that the world is undergoing its fourth global coral bleaching event, the second in the past ten years.
The event is directly related to rising sea surface temperatures, which last month reached a new record high of 21.07C, the highest monthly value since records began.
Read more here.
2. Drought-Stricken UAE Sees Heaviest Rainfall in 75 Years as Experts Rule Out Potential Role of Cloud Seeding
At least 20 people have died in Oman and one in the United Arab Emirates following a powerful storm that brought torrential rain, the heaviest in at least 75 years, to the drought-stricken region.
The storm initially hit Oman on Sunday before moving to the UAE on Tuesday, knocking out power lines, flooding roads and houses, and disrupting air traffic.
Early media reports on Tuesday suggested this week’s downpour may have been worsened by cloud seeding. However, in a statement to multiple outlets, the National Center of Meteorology (NCM), which oversees cloud-seeding missions in the country, said that no seeding operation had been conducted before or during the storm. Meanwhile, other experts have also debunked the theory, saying it was misleading to attribute heavy rain to cloud seeding and instead blaming warmer weather, which can hold more moisture in the atmosphere, leading to sometimes severe downpours.
Read more here.
3. ‘Worst Environmental Decision in History’: Scotland Scraps ‘Out of Reach’ 2030 Climate Target
Scotland has scrapped a climate target its former first minister branded as “ambitious” and “world-leading”, a move that environmental activists described as “humiliating” and “reprehensible.”
Scottish net zero and energy minister Màiri McAllan, who announced the decision on Thursday, said the move was heavily influenced by the UK Climate Change Committee (CCC), which last month said the 2030 target was “no longer credible.” According to the UK CCC, Scotland missed eight of the past 12 annual targets for cutting planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions and lacked a comprehensive decarbonisation strategy.
Speaking to MSPs on Thursday, McAllan said the government would introduce a new legislative package of climate action measures in line with its net-zero by 2045 target, including quadrupling electric vehicles charging points by 2030 and introducing an integrated ticketing system for public transport in line with the goal to cut car use by 20% by decade’s end from a 2019 baseline.
Read more here.
4. All-Time Record Removal of River Barriers in 2023 Marks Step Forward in European Ecosystems Restoration: Report
According to data collected by Dam Removal Europe (DRE), at least 487 barriers were removed in 15 European countries, with France leading the way, followed by Spain, Sweden, and Denmark. The interventions led to the reconnection of more than 4,300 kilometres of rivers.
“It is amazing to witness another record-breaking year for dam removals in European rivers. Almost 500 barriers – a 50% increase from the report published last year. It shows the movement is growing fast and brings new hope for the thriving of free-flowing rivers and people”, said Herman Wanningen, founder of the World Fish Migration Foundation and c-founder of DRE.
River barriers – including weirs, culverts, dams, ramps, and ford – are linked to habitat degradation and biodiversity loss, and they alter the natural nutrient flow, changing the movement of sediment and nutrients and water levels, and leading to pollution. Exposure to extreme weather can also affect the structure, rendering them obsolete and heightening the risk of structural damage and failure.
Read more here.
